This is the April 2017 NHL equivalency table, with some solid NHL careers listed beside pedestrian equivalencies. On the other hand, some outstanding NHLE totals did not or have not established themselves as NHL contributors. How could this be? Lots of reasons. John Marino was playing behind Adam Fox at Harvard, so offensive opportunities were not available. On the other hand, Jesse Puljujarvi posted 31 points NHLE at 18, but the Oilers mishandled him before and after his time with the Condors in 2016-17. What about the current group? Let’s have a look.
THE ATHLETIC!
- Lowetide: Oilers transcend reasonable expectations in 2022-23, led by Connor McDavid
- Lowetide: Who could be the Oilers’ playoff Fernando Pisani this year?
- DNB: Oilers ready for a playoff rematch with Avalanche
- DNB: Top seed in West and ‘momentum’ for playoffs
- Lowetide: How a balanced Oilers roster is finally uniting the fan base
- Lowetide: Who’s the Oilers’ best player outside the NHL? It’s a tough call
- Lowetide: Which Oilers’ minor leaguers could help in the playoffs?
- Lowetide: Oilers’ Kailer Yamamoto’s future may hinge on 2023 NHL playoffs
- Lowetide: 5 ways Oilers’ Mattias Ekholm has delivered since trade
- Lowetide: Oilers’ second half spike owes much to Jay Woodcroft’s innovation
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers post an incredible March with playoffs in sight
- DNB: The Oilers ‘found a way’ against the Kings
- Lowetide: How many more college players will the Oilers sign this spring?
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers at 2018 NHL Draft, making the final call
- DNB: Connor McDavid joins the 60-goal club
- Lowetide: Is the Oilers’ defence deep enough to win the Stanley Cup?
- Lowetide: Stock up or down for every Oilers prospect in the system
- DNB: Oilers’ recent play gives 3 reasons to be optimistic about a long playoff run
- DNB: Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl shows he’s more than Connor McDavid’s sidekick
- Lowetide: What to expect from the Oilers’ 2023 NHL Draft after trading first-round pick
- DNB: Connor McDavid’s importance to the Oilers keeps showing no bounds
- Lowetide: Oilers top 20 prospects, winter 2022
NHLE FORWARDS
The top three names in the group have delivered compelling seasons. It’s important to value the pro campaigns higher than the junior numbers, Petrov (as an example) owns a 38 point NHLE, but Xavier Bourgault was over 40 points one year ago in junior. Maxim Berezkin is the most intriguing name on the list, don’t know if we’ll ever see him but there’s a story there.
The player who stands out here is Raphael Lavoie. His goal-scoring abilities are strong and he should be able to post crooked numbers in the NHL when given an opportunity. If I had to make one bet from this list it would be Xavier Bourgault. After that? Lavoie.
We’re seeing reasons why the Ken Holland Detroit Red Wings always got more out of the farm system now being applied to the Edmonton Oilers. Holland talked about overcooking players in the minors on the day he arrived in Alberta to GM this team, and one of the reasons is the organization doesn’t give up on players. Tyler Benson is still in the organization, that’s unheard of in these parts. And while he does look to have wilted, never say never in the Holland version of team construction. Here’s the defense and goaltending.
Using the Holland template, Cam Dineen could have far more importance than an Oilers observer would give him based on the team’s own past. Ryan Fanti may be viewed as a disappointment after his first pro season, Holland probably sees him as just getting started. It might have come in handy back in 2015 summer with the group of blue bubbling under. Here’s the list wth NHLE:
- LHD Brad Hunt 11-19-30 (age 26)
- LHD Darnell Nurse 7-16-23 (age 20)
- LHD Jordan Oesterle 5-9-14 (age 22)
- LHD Ben Betker 2-10-12 (age 19)
- LHD Dillon Simpson 2-9-11 (age 21)
- LHD David Musil 1-7-8 (age 21)
- LHD Martin Gernat 1-7-8 (age 21)
- LHD Brandon Davidson 3-4-7 (age 23)
The Oilers kept Nurse, kept re-acquiring Brandon Davidson but in a different world maybe Brad Hunt and Jordan Oesterle hang around longer and provide inexpensive and valuable depth. I think those kinds of players may hang around longer now and they do have some value.
The 2013 spring look at players who were about to graduate to pro
- R Tobias Rieder (Kitchener OHL) 52, 27-29-56 after an enormous season (85 points in 60 games) one year ago. He’s 20, suspect the Oilers will sign him as he has a nice range of skills and plays in all three disciplines (17Ev, 8PP and 2PK goals this season). NHLE: 82, 13-13-26 (age 19 season).
- L Daniil Zharkov (Belleville OHL) 59, 25-18-43 is almost a photocopy of his previous season. Began slowly and played much better in the New Year. His 22 even strength goals is a significant total. He’ll return for another junior season in 13-14. NHLE: 82, 10-8-18 (age 18 season).
- D Martin Gernat (Edmonton WHL) 23, 3-10-13 and finishing up a trying season. Gernat was out with a shoulder injury early, and it took significant time to get back into the lineup. Once there, he showed just how much he’s improved during his Oil King career. I’m excited for his future, this kid looks like the real thing. If this were a baseball player, we’d be talking about 5-tool ability. NHLE 82, 3-11-14 (age 19).
- L Mitchell Moroz (Edmonton WHL) 69, 13-21-34 started off slowly but improved his play as the season progressed. Spent much of the year on a designated checking line, perhaps indicating the Oilers see him in that role. I would have thought the club might have been projecting him as more of an offensive player, but based on how he was used I suspect they see him as a checker/energy player. Moroz had 10 EV and 3PP goals. NHLE 82, 5-7-12 (age 18 season).
- D David Musil (Edmonton WHL) 62, 9-22-31 and a quality defender at the junior level. Watching Musil play his final stretch of junior was a pleasure, he’s really a good coverage defender. The question is footspeed, we’ll begin to find out about his pro career in the fall. All 9 goals were at evens. NHLE: 82, 4-8-12 (age 19 season).
- L Travis Ewanyk (Edmonton WHL) 58, 8-15-23 but the 119 pims are what might earn him a contract. The Oilers are extremely high on this player, or at least they were midway through this past season. I don’t think he’ll ever deliver enough offense to play in the NHL. NHLE 82, 3-7-10 (age 19 season).
The 2023 spring look at players who are about to graduate to pro
- LW Matvey Petrov (North Bay OHL). 65, 27-66-93 He is signed and should be able to grab a feature role in Bakersfield as a rookie pro. He’s a RH shot who plays left-wing, but I think he can play both sides. His competition on left wing (Carter Savoie) is less substantial than right wing (Xavier Bourgault, Seth Griffith, Tyler Tullio, Jake Chiasson) so perhaps it’ll work out. I think the Bourgault season, or Holloway’s rookie AHL year, are reasonable expectations. Petrov is a fine talent, it’s fair to say he was drafted far too late based on his skills. Good pick for Edmonton.
- LC Carl Berglund (UMass Lowell H-E). 36, 12-15-27. His scouting report is encouraging, he has had some grand chances during six AHL games and there’s clearly a two-way feel to his game. Too soon to know,, AHL teams will move heaven and earth to find useful centers, especially young ones who don’t cost much. The Oilers have signed some useful college free agents over the years, most recently names like Justin Schultz, Drake Caggiula and Matt Benning. We’ll see.
- RW Jake Chiasson (Saskatoon WHL). 70, 20-38-58. Chiasson has an intriguing skill set and a path to the NHL (middle-six winger) if he can score enough goals. He reached the 20-goal plateau as a 19-year old in junior, so that’s not a bold bullet point. His skills include speed and a good shot, plus he’s tenacious. I think he might be a better pro than junior. Kind of like a forward version of Brandon Davidson. Why do I feel this way? Seems to me the pandemic and injuries obscured this player and we haven’t seen the real Jake.
- RD Max Wanner (Moose Jaw). 44, 8-22-30. I have a feeling he is going to be the best in the group. Wanner has the widest range of skills, the team liked him enough to sign way early and his playoffs (5, 2-3-5. a bunch of pluses) is very good. He’s big and mobile, the Oilers are all about that nowadays.
New for The Athletic: Why Stuart Skinner should become the Oilers’ first Calder winner
https://theathletic.com/4412888/2023/04/15/stuart-skinner-oilers-calder-odds/
*With follow-up article:
“Why McDavid should have already been the Oilers’ first Calder winner, with or without the injury”
That still really grinds my gears thinking about it. 😤
Gretzky and if not for Brodeur Jason Arnott wins the Calder. Jason had 33 Goals and 35 assists in 78 Games. Arnott was 6’5” 225 pounds. Jason was a number one Centre you build a team around for 15 years. He should of been our Patrice Bergeron.
Nuge should have won the Calder, too.
Yak, too.
This has been a real breakthrough season for Olivier Rodrigue at age 22.
Final numbers are 29GP 14-14-1 2.77 .912.
He and Pickard are tied for 10th in SV% of the 43 ‘qualifying goalies’ in the league (tied with Nedeljkovic actually).
Presumably he’ll get another deal from the Oilers and return in a duo with Pickard (Fanti also under contract next season, though he seems destined for another spin in the ECHL).
The Condors appear to be rolling pretty nicely these days.
Taking to straight from Coachella Valley is impressive, Coachella is the #2 team in the AHL this season. They are 6-3-1 in their last 10 (ie – 6-1-1 when they don’t face Bakersfield).
Seems like the Condors are getting healthy(ier) too. Good to see.
The Condors themselves were 7-3-0 to finish the season (72 37-31-2-2 78 points overall).
Going back further (not made easy by the AHL site) it looks like the Condors were:
5W-2L in April
8W-4L in March
7W-4L in February
So that’s 20W-10L in their last 30 games.
Take it back to last half of the season (36 games) and they were 24W-12L.
I didn’t break out OT/SO loses (I did this from the listed game results which didn’t indicate if it was OT/SO) so presumably some of the 12 losses weren’t outright and their 2nd half record is actually a little better than 24W-12L.
Anyway, very strong run for Bakersfield after a rough start (grouping all the losses together it seems they went 15W-23L in the 1st half)
My feed has dropped but Philp has scored again into an empty net to ice the game.
Condors Twitter reports that is ten straight wins to end the season for Bako.
10 straight at home, not overall.
Sounds like Holloway credited with the goal from the PA.
Murray hasn’t taken a shift in the 3rd according to the PBP.
Strong cycle shift by the Valley Girls, Good shot block by Cap’n Niemo, followed by a good save off a deflection by Rodrigue. You’d want to see him make that save but it was still tricky.
Condors give up a couple quick ones in the 3rd to allow the game to be tied but they pull an Oilers and get it right back. Bourgault causes chaos and a turnover – rips one from the slot – I think it went bar down for the 3-2 lead. It came right back out, may not have gone in but Holloway shoverled in the rebound just to be ensure.
Just as Bourgault shot the puck, it took an elbow/hit to the head – likely a major coming here.
I think he’s fine.
Looks like not a penalty on the replay, refs make the right call. That was a Trouba hit. Shoulder to middle of the chest.
Coachella has evened it up, on the powerplay I believe. Cartier for CV not tied up at the side of the net. The Curriculum Vitaes have what thje
Romans used to call goal legs now.
And then Bourgault picks up a loose puck in a wide open slot and fires it in off the crossbar.
and add in a penalty after the goal to CV
Edmonton
Dallas
Colorado
Vegas
Boston
NYI
NYR
Toronto
Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk in the same series. Like if Matt Cooke could’ve met Alex Burrows…
Cheap shots will be bargain-basement cheap. K-Mart Blue Light specials. And the shit talk will flow. Can you ref that series well? Is it even possible?
I’m kinda lookin forward to it. Hopefully they cheap shot each other onto the injury list.
Good forecheck and cycle shift, Bourgault lugs the puck and circles around high, gets it to Kemp at the right side-boards point and he’s able to get it to the middle for Malone – a long shot finds its way past Dacord – a screen but it was weak but the Condors take the 2-0 lead
Summarizing!
Wanner picked up a helper as the Moose Javians won 5-3 (see Munny 2.0’s intrepid reportage below), and get the split coming back to the Friendly City.
Despite a game-high 8 SOG, Lachance did not earn any soup. He shall have to content himself with Cheez Whiz and frozen pineapple chunks.
Thank you, sir, you’re too kind, and damn funny too.
For those Robert Frosts who wonder about the road not taken, Schaefer had 1 assist tonight and a double minor (unsportsmanlike tacked on) in a 5-1 TBirds win over the PG Coug.
Mostly goalie:
https://theathletic.com/4410645/2023/04/15/nhl-playoffs-goaltenders-vasilevskiy/
Lavoie and Philp come down on the two on one – perfect pass by Ralph and Philp one-times it in to the empty net.
2 players that have proven they are ready for a shot next season – big summers to get ready to compete to take someone’s job!
1-0 after one period.
Rodrigue continues to play well when he gets the chance. 10 shots.
Dunno if you caught it on ON, but Stauffer said the two players on the Condors he gets asked the most about by other team’s scouts are Lavoie (obviously) and somewhat surprisingly, Philp.
I commented about liking him in TC (I had a little intel on him too), and he’s looked good progressing since. So happy for him, and he brings what the org desperately needs… RHS face-off ability and center depth.
Now, as LT is wont to mention, we need to see if he can piss a drop in the NHL before assigning him a full-time job, and that’s going to be the biggest concern. Our other U of A grad, Ryan, was a more offensively talented player at the university level and is a checker here. Can Philp pass and score at the top level? I think he can, although it is going to take lots of north-south play and grease in the crease.
But we ain’t going to be seeing any flybys on checks and the big man can skate.
Oh, I’m not assigning Philp (or Lavoie) anything.
I think we all know that I’m one of the most guarded and fully believe its essentially possible for these prospects to prove NHL readiness in the AHL or even in camp/exhibition season. They can only earn the next opportunity and prove NHL readiness once they earn NHL regular season games.
Neither should be pencilled in to the NHL lineup heading in to camp but should have to “take the job” of a sign incumbent/veteran.
Pretty sure, I didn’t say “you”, but rather “we”. As in, us, here, the community, the group.
I’m not just addressing you in a reply, just like you have noted to others you aren’t necessarily directly responding to them. All comments are open for public drive-bys. I try to write mine accordingly.
Sure, and my response is also valid for the community, some of which have the opinion that the likes of Yamamoto and Foegele can be replaced by the likes of Lavoie next year – straight up.
Just read an excellent article by Cathal Kelly in the globe about Toronto’s fortunes this year.
as this is an oilers blog, I’ll get to the point.
He referenced that Campbell outdueled an excellent Vasilevsky last year in the playoffs, but the Leaves still couldn’t get it done.
doesn’t that seem like distant history?! Not even a year ago. That is not the version of Soup we’ve tasted this year.
imagine how good this team would be if Campbell was putting together even 7 game sections of Vassy calibre play.
imagine if he was out-right stealing games they didn’t deserve.
Would be awesome
Campbell wasn’t able to establish because of his inconsistency. At his age it’s not surprising the pattern of huge slumps continues. What makes the best goalies is a consistent high level of play. There are few these days. Which is why the contract was risky
I won’t be shocked if we see that version of Campbell next year.
Behind Enemy Lines.
https://lakingsinsider.com/2023/04/15/playoff-practice-todays-alignment-injury-updates-matchup-thoughts-day-1-differences/
Looks like Kaldis is back in the lineup tonight and Demers sits.
Rodrigue starts. Do they re-sign him OP?
Oh, of course – he’s coming off his ELC – he’s a no-brainer qualify and re-sign.
I didn’t see Wanner out on either PP unit on the one PP I’ve caught so far. He was however out on the PK. Almost played all of it.
Likes to put him out after goals against oo. Although he’s also been on for one this period. ICe have made a game of it. Now 4-3 with two and half to play.
Wanner just had a rare dman chance at a empty net from just over centre ice and missed the net.
Warriors hang on for the upset win. Head back to Moose Mandible tied up 1-1 in the series.
Game turned on a five minute powerplay in the first during which the Warriors buried three goals. Ice were the vaunt in the 3rd though and scored three to make it tight. 5-3 final on an empty netter.
Wasn’t sure which Warrior goalie was in net for the Ice’s onslaught in the 3rd–whether it was Ungar or Unger–it was the former, the vet, who has never posted a number below .900 in the W, except for one three game stint with Brandon in 19-20 when he was .892.
Even though he allowed three goals in the third period, they gave him the first star of the game. In the road building. That’s how good he was allowing three goals.
He’s undrafted (and now 21), likely because he’s only six foot tall.
Wanner picks up an aPPle as his shot-pass is redirected home for a 4-0 MJ lead after the first.
SC winners know how to impose their will on the opposition. Last year Oilers fans were treated to seeing their local heroes taken apart by the eventual SC winners.
This season everyone has grown another half inch, and in all likelihood this is the year Oilers startle everyone and make the finals.
McDavid crushing that rat Anderson into the boards is one of the highlights of this season.
First RNH beating the crap out of that useless Leaf; and now the freaking captain of the team gooning it up bigtime to send a message to the cowards who think this Oilers team is going to be some kind of a pushover.
Now I feel better.
So Samsonov thinks his maple
leaf is the best team heading into playoffs.,,,huh..,hope Tampa uses it as a motivation to beat them.
Gold March 2023
Deadline: 1st puck drop of the Oilers playoffs
Rules:
1 – How many games do the Oilers win during these playoffs?
tie break
2 – How many points do Leon and Connor score combined?
tie break
3 – How many goals does Evander Kane score?
16 Wins
61 Points
19 Goals
16 Wins
76 Points
18 Goals
16 wins
89 points
17 goals
Bored to death waiting for the actual playoffs to start.
Boston is too old and they are led by players who by the finals are going to be gassed. Imagine the speedy Oilers skating circles around the “Big bad Bruins” lol
That said I’ve always had a healthy dislike for the Boston Bruins.
THAT said I’ve developed an even healthier dislike for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Bruins have a work ethic and seem to have fun while playing for each other.
Many of their top players have taken team friendly contracts in order to help them contend. Their perfection line was paid $18 Million for the longest time.
Bruins think D first and make you pay.
Their “Behind the B” episodes are narrated by Denis effing Leary.
Bruins/Oilers finals would be some good hockey.
Yes and no on the team friendly contracts – both Bergeron and Kreji have low cap hits but they both have massive performance bonuses that were locks to hit.
For example, Bergeron got a $2.5MM bonus for 10 games played – that will hit the Bruins’ cap next season.
OP those are very team friendly contracts, period.
Even including the ‘massive’ bonuses Bergeron will be paid $5M and Krejci $3M total.
That’s their 1C and 2C, who signed team friendly contracts to try to win one more cup.
And yes, the Bruins will feel that next season (those are $3.5M on the Bruins cap for this season, $4.5M for next year).
With the bonuses it looks like the Bruins currently have $77.4M committed to 14 players next season. Yikes.
Congratulations to our legend McDavid. He has officially captured the Art Ross AND the Maurice today.
He’s the best there is and the hardware is finally catching up to him 🙂
Sather would’ve turned Gernat into a lifer. That kid was a player.
Showed up and whipped past both Pysyk and Mr. Overrated himself with the Oil Kings. Ton of talent. Awful timing.
I saw him one night (Oil Kings) where he absolutely owned every part of the ice. I talked to a scout about Musil and Keegan Lowe once, he told me Gernat had the highest ceiling of the three. He was an NHL scout btw.
I recall a training camp interview clip where Marincin and Gernat were laughing and saying the coach kept asking them to do something but they’d just ignore him and go flying around the ice calling out plays to each other in Slovakian. Not terrible, but it’s like showing up to camp out of shape: you’re not going to grab a slot out of camp. Needed some years to mature into a pro I think.
When are we expecting guys like Holoway to get the call? I get leaving the guys who would only play after several injuries down there for now because the AHL is still playing, but guys with a decent chance of playing in the first round I’d like to see up practicing with the team asap.
Bakersfield plays their last regular season game tonight, so presumably after that.
IIRC Gregor or someone reported that Holloway will be called up rather than remaining in Bakersfield (I think that’s right).
I’d assume though that Holloway not being with the team practicing right now is a pretty clear indication that he won’t be in the lineup for game 1 (not a surprise, but I’d take this as further confirmation).
With Bako still playing I’m not sure who else would be called up immediately. Probably only Murray I guess.
Not until the Condors are done, unless there are injuries. Nugent-Bowman (I believe) alluded to this today as well.
The Oilers used their 3rd of 4 non-emergency call-ups on Demers. I believe the limit still applies until the Condors are done playing.
Per Gregor:
Lots of work on zone exits and entries as well and back tracking in Oilers practice today. Pace much higher than normal, which it will be for all 16 remaining teams.
Per Dennis Bernstein:
LAK health update:
1. Vilardi skated before 11am practice – not practicing with main group.
2. Fiala not practicing.
3. Edler full contact jersey.
Remember Showdown during HNIC intermissions in the 80’s?
This blast from the past was in my FB feed this morning:
https://fb.watch/jWH18Q9_Hy/?mibextid=vTn5qL
Pure gold.
Take a look at how much net these goalies gave with tiny equipment!
The original Showdown was from the mid-70s and it was essentially a penalty shot or shootout contest with a bunch of skaters and goalies involved, whittling the group down slowly by elimination each week to finally the single best scorer and keeper. Pretty sure Howie Meeker was the analyst, excitedly imploring everyone to get the goalie to make the first move, and no idea who the PBP caller was.
I remember Bernie Parent being infuriatingly dominant. And wondering why Bobby Orr wasn’t the skater every week. Why isn’t the show called, “Can you stop Bobby?” …I was also not a teenager yet.
They also did skills stuff. Guy Lafleur shooting from the circles and hitting top twine repeatedly has stuck with me
Another is defenseman Barry Beck skating in on the goalie and taking a massive slapper right into the pads. No chance to score. Parent?
Excellent post LT. Some random comments:
– Seeing Nick Ellis’s name reminded me from when he got called up at the end of the 2017-18 season but McLellan didn’t even give him 1 game when the Oilers were out of the playoffs. You would have thought giving a prospect a chance to show their stuff in a meaningless game would have been a good idea. Even Tyler Bunz got a period a few years back. Bag of Pucks talked about loyalty and how Holland treats people. Good thing that has changed. Btw, Ellis quit hockey after that season. Wonder if McLellan had anything to do with that.
– And seeing all those Oil Kings, I had the exact same thought as Lewis Grant – that was a lot of mediocre local players drafted way too early.
– Our drafting has sure improved over the last decade.
– One would have thought that the Oilers would have had a few more draft picks during the DoD (a la Arizona Coyotes). When we did have a lot of first and second rounders in 2007 and 2015, we squandered a good chunk of them.
I remember my excitement when the cap was introduced. I explained to everybody who would listen how this was going to change things back to the days when competent management determined who won Stanley instead of who could buy championships.
My mistake was in thinking that was going to benefit the Oilers.
Surprisingly, now I wonder if the Oilers would benefit from not having a cap. Oilers Owner Who Should Not Be Named isn’t exactly stingy with this team and seems to be doing quite well financially.
That’s good to hear. I wondered how going from real estate to movies would work out, and was concerned he might not do well and we’re back to Pocklington days
He made his money in the drug business, not real estate.
As far as I know his scheme was like McDonalds – the burger stores were the vehicle for a real state empire. I’m sure he made money on the stores operations he owned, distribution and franchise/royalty fees etc
I don’t believe that is correct.
Why?
Any thoughts?
Leasing store fronts back to franchisees was the model. Based on Rexall franchise branding
Based on the 1st round matchups the 538.com 1st round win probabilities stack up like this:
~80% Bruins, Avs
~70% Oilers, Hurricanes, Knights
~60% Rangers, Leafs, Stars
(based only on scoreboard history).
It really isn’t a proper 1st round without a major upset though, is it?
I’m going with the Isles.
Sorokin has the ability to help steal a series and the Canes have been “meh” for a while now and had trouble scoring I believe.
Seattle was 2-0-1 vs Colorado in the regular season, with underlying metrics to back it up. That could turn into an interesting series.
I was looking at who I wanted the Avs to play, thinking the Wild, beat them up. Turns out the Kraken play the Avs better
The coaching carnage continues.
Peter Laviolette fired in Washington…Brad Larsen out in Columbus.
Can trolls be fired? Asking for a friend.
Hey meanashell, have you been affected by all the flooding in the Miami area?
Yes, a bit. It was pretty bad. I mean, no joke, people were swimming down the street. I really felt bad for the cat colonies along the beach, I saw kitties sheltering against the walls of buildings. The water was bad, the wind was worse, 45-50mph with higher gusts.
Seems above average year for blood letting.
Kind of a casualty of flat cap. Necessity to truly address any potential foreseeable inefficiencies that one can manage to identify.
Todd Nelson coaches the AHL franchise. I hope he gets the Capitals NHL job.
I second this. Todd deserves a real NHL chance.
I’m looking forward to Petrov, Chiasson and Warner joining the Condors when they are done in the CHL playoffs. I’m not sure if the forwards will get in to any games but Warner may have a chance given the Condors have been a bit thin on defence (and Murray is only eligible for two more games on his conditioning stint).
One of the most intriguing players mentioned for me is Yeseyev – a MASSIVE season for an 18-year old d-man in the KHL. I don’t know if it means anything but maybe it does?
Fanti had a fight and a goal within a couple of weeks! Legend!
Does he handle the puck like Mike Smith?
Not sure, but it appears he handles his temper like Billy Smith., if that is any consolation…
I’ve been saying for years that Jesse putting up 28 points in 39 AHL games as the youngest player in North American pro hockey was a massive up arrow and didn’t get enough talk.
The Oilers certainly did mis-manage him. Chiarelli and his team has culpability. I believe Lehto and Jesse’s representatives also mis-managed his early career. “Requiring” Jesse be on the NHL roster for 40 games in order to, not early burn that 1st year and vest a year towards UFA status but materially increase the time line on his waiver eligibility really hurt him and the ability to develop him properly early on.
Oh well, we are where we are with this player and I’m fascinated to see how he does next season with a lower cap hit and a full season with a new org. I do think he gets another NHL contract.
Am I wrong in seeing JP as a comparable to Griffin Reinhart? A man boy capable of impressive feats against youngsters due to his advanced physical traits, but lacking in other areas which didn’t get exposed until he faced pro competition?
Footspeed would be major difference.
Reinhart represents failure to properly keep up with current direction league heading
Puj represents many different bottlenecks on way toward succeeding to run a franchise optimally
Sure, you can blame the organization for mismanagement. But ultimately it comes down to the player to perform and when he didn’t that agent of his clearly made a bad situation worse. I’m just happy the Bison dude has finally departed. Good luck to him in Carolina.
I don’t think Holland would take him back next year even at league minimum. After the trade I thought he would go back to a resemblance of his former self playing with Aho and the rest of the Finnish connection. If he doesn’t piss a drop or is scratched in the Playoffs He’ll probably get one more chance from a team not named Carolina.
Trading the distraction was addition through substraction.
Holland said he specifically talked to Jesse and his agent about re-signing him to a lower AAV contract prior to trading him.
Yeah, I think many are taking a victory lap due to a small sample size. Let’s see how this plays out. JP has to get a contract for next season mind, but for me this story has miles to go and no one should be making grand conclusions.
I have to stick my neck out a bit and admit I have some trouble with the mismanagement narrative – though I do see usage and Chiarelli and his agent as having created a “perfect storm”. Still, since being traded, in 16 games with a new team, fresh start and all that – he posts 2 assists. I have not stringently tracked his TOI, but there seemed to be a downward trend and at least early he had time with skill – as he did here. Still nothing. So for me at some point reasons morph into excuses. Time will tell I suppose but the Oilers are definitely not missing him.
The obvious problem with the mismanagement narrative is the team successfully developed a number of prospects while Jesse was running in place.
Did they just forget how to do it with this particular player or is the Occam’s Razor explanation that the player himself and his agent stifled his development the more plausible culprit?
The elephant in the room was/is his poor grasp of English. This presumably should be less of a problem in Carolina where his countrymen can translate. To riff on Sinatra, “If he can’t make it there. He can’t make it anywhere.”
If you go back and watch the World Junior Championship hi-lights Jesse was a top 5 pick. He was big he could score and he was a playmaker. Phil Esposito, Dave Andreychuk, Tim Kerr. When the Finn passed on the Finn alarm bells went off but Peter Peter Pumkin Eater couldn’t get to the podium fast enough.
Yep. The WJC was definitely his debutante ball as a prospect. Not sure what that has to do with the mismanagement narrative?
Completely agree. He was a Chiarelli choice so maybe unwise (it is odd that he was passed over by a Finn). Aho threw the Oilers player development under the bus and I don’t agree with that.
I don’t have it out for the guy, I just think he was given every opportunity to perform here and didn’t and seeing what he has done so far, small sample such as it is – he has had 16 games with fellow Finns, in “fresh air” on Carolina and still he produces 2 assists.
The management problem was internal not how it related to Jesse. Chiarelli I feel confident did no scouting on JP assuming he was gone at 3. Remember his shock and elation and very nice F bomb at the draft in an interview after JP dropped and we took him? ChiaPete creeped me out, looking all greasy in his track suit all the time
If you go back and look at how Jesse played pre NHL, it is not a style that translates. Carried the puck a lot, and lots of long range shots for goals. Gets here and they tell him to stop swooping and he can’t transport because of who he plays with
So his lack of puck control in tight spaces and getting control for a shot are exposed. He also doesn’t seem to process the play on the smaller more crowded ice nearly as well. I had high hopes, but it’s not going to change. He’s be a star in the KHL or Switzerland, where he’ll end up at some point
Turns out that getting into Harvard is just the first step. You still have to be a quick study and diligent worker to succeed.
I’ll take street smart Yzerman, Sakic Billty Guerin, Mikey Grier over the nasty Brian Burke’s of the world Brian took credit for a team he never built same with Harvard boy Peter. Pretty boy Dubas is alright I personally wouldn’t have brought in Tavares for that price tag. Dubas rolled the dice on the Goaltending if the Leafs lose to Tampa he has to be and will be fired.
Dubas is a self promoter like Chayka was. He’s not incompetent, he’s over confident (according to a friend of his in a piece I read), which never ends well for those around people like that, even if they make out ok. Scored himself the big GM gig with 7 years in total experience. A couple of lads too big for their britches.
Signing Tavares was pointless. To me it was grandstanding a few months into his gig – look at my big score! A retirement contract that was very likely not going to age well. I thought he was a stats guru, right? Some markets need marquee players to keep seats full – a survival thing. Toronto is not one. He screwed himself with the Matthews and Marner re-ups coming in full view
The Murray thing is one that’s hard to get one’s head around. ‘He was great in juniors!’ That might be the straw for sure
To me prestige schools have nothing to do with competence or learning
It’s about entrance to certain social groups
Just ask Boris!! It changed his accent!
Thank goodness we’re through the absurd days of drafting low-scoring Oil Kings in prime draft slots.
Mitch Moroz, a 25-point scorer in his draft year, at #32? Half the remaining LWs taken in the second round played 200+ games.
Travis Ewanyk, a 27-point scorer in his draft year, at #74? Half the remaining Cs taken in the third round played 180+ games. The next C drafted after him was Blake Coleman.
(And let’s not forget Griffin Reinhart for effectively the #16+#33 picks, nor the fact that the scouts wanted him two years earlier at #1.) The next D drafted after him was Morgan Reilly.
Throw in David Musil, son of an Oiler scout, at #31. Half of the remaining Ds taken in the second round played 180+ games. The next D drafted after him was Scott Mayfield.
It’s nice to finally be producing in rounds 2 and 3 (e.g. Skinner, McLeod, Lavoie).
Amen to all that.
Well, there’s also Laurent Brossoit (who Cgy drafted but Oilers of old coveted, like Reinhart) – he just helped Vegas win the WC a few days back and would be an upgrade on Campbell.
Campbell’s story in Edmonton is just a first chapter. I don’t think I would go so far as to say that Brossoit is an upgrade.
Musil over 19th central scouting ranked Saad always burns me. I remember being so pumped he was still available after 1st round.
I wanted Boone Jenner in the worst way (scrappy centre which we needed in a bad way), but picking Brandon wouldn’t have made me Saad either.
Such a waste with that kind of talent available. And I’m happy that Pitlick was able to make it to the show and scratch out something of a career.
No doubt.
I can’t completely ignore my own mistakes in knowing saad’s exact pre draft consensus rank being where klefbom was selected and that playing a large part in my awareness of him still being available in round 2.
Got a solid defenseman projected early 2nd round…one reach too many on mainly not top 100 ranked musil on nearly every list.
Agreed. I always felt bad for Moroz and Ewanyk, who were placed in an impossible position.
I really like Carl Berglund’s game. He plays a solid 200 foot game. The concern for him is footspeed and he is not dynamic player. I think he has a chance, because his positioning is so consistent. Coaches will love him. He had a very good game last night on the 4th line with Benson and Kambeitz.
He also got screwed out of a +1 last night. Griffith dumped the puck into the ozone and went to the bench. Benson beat the defender to puck in the ensuing scrum with Berglund in support.
Benson fed Griffith’s replacement, Kambeitz, as he crossed the blueline, who let it go through a bit of traffic above the circle. Clearly Berglund was in the photo, as he went to the net as Kambeitz released the puck.
According to the AHL stats keepers, Berglund’s plus/minus in the league is “0”.
So Patrick Russell 2.0?
Not exactly, but possibly, lol, Berglund is a Center, so he has more utility. We will see next season if he gets more than just 4th line minutes.
Honestly could say this of all the forwards currently in Bakersfield, other than Holloway and Bourgault. Philp and Lavoie won’t get top 6 or likely even top 9 minutes if/when they break into the league (hopefully) next season, so they might not get the minutes or opportunity to produce when they do.
Maybe the second coming of Anton Lander.
Could very well be.
i was not sold on Cam Dineen with some of my first viewings, but over the last few games he has played solid. Undersized, but very good skating and passing. He has a chance, but I wonder if his size is a factor for the organization.
I hope it isn’t a factor but it could be. Hopefully the presence of trees like Niemo, Desharnais, Wanner and Kemp to name a few in the pipeline allow them to be flexible and give opportunities to smaller skilled players like Dineen.
The D last night were:
Murray – Demers
Peters – Kemp
Dineen – Niemelainen
They looked good, but Murray and Niemo had their moments. Pickard was very solid in the 3-0 victory and extremely animated after the buzzer sounded.
I am convinced that Peters will be signed to an NHL deal by the Oilers this summer.
Yes, Peters is next in line for the AHL to NHL contract – Hamblin, Vinny, Peters.
I’m not sure we’ll ever see him in an NHL game but, of course, I said that about Vinny as well……
I think current depth at the position demands patience, whatever the Oilers’ preferences.
Unless he’s elite in some way at the NHL level not going to happen
Probably a Hunt career elsewhere. Perfect
If anyone is interested, Justin Bailey scored a helluva PP goal last night. He has so many tools. It is a shame he hasn’t put it all together for an NHL career.
Highlights are here:
https://youtu.be/4knn2V7vcWw
Another winning post today LT. You’re on a hot streak that rivals the home team’s!
RE Holland overcooking prospects. My wife always jokes with me that, “You love dogs and horses more than you love people,” to which I reply, “Absolutely, they’re more loyal than human beings.”
Loyalty is one of the most admirable traits of our species but it’s unfortunately on the wane. Nobody in Gen Z is hoping for 40 years with the same employer and a gold watch at the end. They’d settle for decent benefits and something better than the gig economy or indentured servitude to Jeff Bezos.
Loyalty is one of the traits imo that differentiates the Oilers as one of the class organizations in the NHL. As I know you’ll remember, Slats’ template for the organization was the Habs and you won’t find a team in all of sports that treasures its past players more than the Habs. The Oilers Alumni is similarly strong and the credo “Once an Oiler. Always an Oiler,” isn’t a platitude with this org. Loyalty lives here.
What does this have to do with prospects? My sense is you can’t have a team based in the tundra AND a shit culture. No one will stay here. The Oilers are much like the City they inhabit. We all know there are better, warmer places to live but you’d be hard pressed to find a more friendly and charitable city. Loyalty lives here.
It was disappointing to hear Aho’s comments on Puljujarvi which indirectly slagged the org. Souray. Schultz. Brygalov. Not everyone loves playing for this org but the vast majority do. Players like Benson will tell other prospects how much Edmonton invested in him. That loyalty pays dividends.
Cynics argue that given the player movement in a cap system, you’re essentially just cheering for the uniform/laundry. BS. This team stands for something and it represents us well as fans. Take it from a guy who likes horses more than people. This club is my ‘ride or die.’ Loyalty lives here.
I always felt Holland’s biggest attributes that he’d bring to Edmonton were patience and loyaty. Patience we’ve started to see pay off, as he had plenty of futures available for Ekholm, and we haven’t seen any real Chiarelli-esque trade blunders hoping for the quick fix. That’s not to say all of his moves have been good, but the bad ones haven’t been franchise crippling.
Loyalty is something he’s investing in right now, and we hope to see pay off in contract negotiations with McDrai. He managed to keep guys like Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Lidstrom for their entire careers in Detroit, We’re hoping for the same thing here.
Obviously there have been some mistakes. I didn’t think Holland had it in him to bring the cup back to Edmonton, but this year’s team is looking like something special. We certainly aren’t cup favourites, but we belong in the conversation, and you can never count out McDavid.
Agree. It’s funny. We complain at times about Holland not taking another GM behind the woodshed, but his counterparts appreciate that. Holland is a mensch and it pays off when a departing guy like Poile makes Kenny his first call for a lovely parting gift at the trade deadline. Certainly no one was doing BriseBois any favours.
Btw, I’m trying to avoid any temptation to jinx them but they are my Cup favourites this year. The Avs have had some significant attrition and imo the Oilers are better at the top end of the roster than the Bruins and the Dutchman has plugged all of the holes in the roster. Stu is the X factor but I believe in the lad. Connor and Leon and Ekholm and Nurse and Hyman and Kane will never be better than they are right now. It’s their time.
Get ready for the ride. It’s going to be a wild one. I hope my liver can take it.
The only reason they aren’t a favourite is because of questions on D and G. In March/April they’ve proven time and again they can lock it down, and Stu has the talent. Still, our D is good not great, and Stu is a rookie and may not deliver under pressure.
That said, I expect at the very least we aren’t swept in the conference finals this year, and the only team that can truly defeat the Oil this year is the Oil. I just don’t see Connor letting that happen. With the season we just had, the buy-in has to be extremely high, and I don’t think there’s a player on the roster that will accept defeat.
re: the decline of loyalty. I think you are largely right, and it goes hand in hand with a decline in civic friendship. But that is a conversation for a different platform.
I was no fan of the Holland hiring. And there have been a number of moves I do not like. But overall, I am happy to admit I was wrong. Does he build a team the way I would/I would prefer? No. Has he built a Stanley Cup contender? Absolutely.
His old-school and folksy approach has brought much-needed stability. Last season, people like myself were critical of Holland for not firing Tip sooner. But as you say, Holland is loyal. He is a boss who actually cares. That matters.
Anyway, nice post.
That’s one of the best things about winning. It unites the community. We’re all on the bandwagon now. It’s going to be fun to see this online community (except for HH obvs) all pulling in the same direction this spring. LT deserves it.
Ha! I have a mental image of us all partying on a hay wagon,looking to the front and joyfully chuuging our koolaid, while HH sits facing the rear, feet dangling in the mud, spitting loogies into the gutter with a dour look on his face.
I agree with all the subsequent commentary regarding Ken. I’ve called him lucky, but his personal approach to managing the team, and dealing with people, may be determining factors for the Oil landing Kane at value, for getting any value at all out of PJ, for Keith and Smith cutting early, for finding a trade partner willing to move a piece like Ekholme, at that price, to a contender.
I’ve been confuddled by a number of Ken’s decisions, but his fingerprints are all over those positive outcomes.
Confuddled. Great word.
Holland has brought class to the Oilers. He behaves normally for an executive in a major sport, no barn fights or bold moves or track suits and ‘I’m the villian ‘ stache. He’s nice to people, respects them, he’s as loyal as he can be
He is stable, reasonable and knows what he wants in how he approaches the draft. No man crushes and ‘look what he did in the playoffs’ or some championship tournament of small sample sizes. No chasing outlier players like the Lucic fetish the BoB in the DoD had
I hope he ‘retires’ upstairs when that time comes, and keeps his hand on the rudder
Holland will go down avenues some wouldn’t when he has a need. That is how Kane came. That Kane chose Edmonton out of the couple others however wasn’t about Ken, it was about Connor as Kane said. How he is paid is because of SJ is paying part, this isn’t Holland doing anything much
Perhaps other GMs give him a call first because he’s a nice guy. In the bigger deals and contracts Holland has done I see no evidence that he finds value for his team, even if he finds helpful players. He always pays at the top of the range, can’t get salary retention, Throws around movement clauses like party favours to everyone but Tyson, and over terms
Doesn’t mean he’s a bad GM, just not a great deal maker. I hope it doesn’t add up too much as we go through the Connor years
The Kane settlement with the Sharks didn’t come until well after he signed his extension and I don’t think it impacted the contract he received from the Oilers.
That’s an interesting take from someone that does what you do for a living
Coincidental that the two add up to his previous contract?
Anyone who understands a bit of labour relations could have predicted (as I did, and I do) that Kane’s grievance would eventually settle and that his ‘gain’ from that would be offset by his new contract. The goal of a labour relations grievance is to make the agrieved ‘whole’. That means what he lost. The income from Kane’s Oiler contract would be used to reduce the settlement, thus making him Whole, not super-paid.
Exactly. So Holland gets a discount but it was nothing slick on his part
Unless Kane somehow knew the settlement number a good 2 plus months before is was agreed to.
I have little about that it Kane could have got more in free agency, he would have.
From who? Kane said he wanted to play with Connor and Leon. He got 5 from Holland and everyone knew he’d likely get the rest from the Sharks as northerndancer said
Don’t forget that Kane was not a ‘clean’ signing when he did even if it’s all in the rear view mirror now
Kane went and tested the market prior to circling back and re-signing.
Yes, of course, he said what he said but is there any real doubt that, if another team was offering $6.5MM or a 5th year he wouldn’t likely take it? I don’t think so.
I can’t disagree more. Although yourb assessment odf him being classy, treating people well, stable and reasonable ring true, afterwards you damn him mightily with faint praise.
He showed respect to Kane when everything went down hill in San Jose. He did his due diligence, consuled with his leaadership (both coaches and players), and brought him in and treated him fairly and well. When the time came for him to sign a new deal, he could have bolted for mere dollars, but being treated with dignity and respect for the first time in long time made enough of an impression he chose to stay HERE, even though the narrative said he would do different.
If you don’t consider Hyman, Kane, Nuge, Ceci, Bjugstad, Ekholm good value adds/re-ups , you are an extremely tough marker. You remind of many auditors I once worked with, who knew the price of everything but had little understanding of the value of anything. Nice if you get someone on a deep discount (Bjugstad at 1/2 the league minimum doesn’t get much better sale price than that), but in a competitive market you regularly are paying the going rate if you want quality. To his credit and by his own dialogue, Ken determines what he needs, identifies his best target, and focuses on that player/transaction. He doesn’t get distracted by shiny surprises that don’t fit his current plan. He plans his work and works his plan. He is a seasones and PROFESSIONAL manager, which is not always the case with many sports teams.
Thank you for personal insults. I also dislike auditors and bean counters with no real understanding
What I say bothers people for some reason. I am sincere in what I think I am not an HH throwing crap because I’m bored
I said he isn’t a good deal maker. Full praise for his strengths, clear on what I see as major weaknesses. Nothing faint
Holland doing not strong deals followed from Detroit. It was a discussion point here when he was hired. Turns out nothing has changed
Kane – Holland needed him. Multiple failed signings at wing and far too undersized. Of course he went to Kane. Kane said it was Connor that swung him. He had only a couple other suitors because it looked controversial. His current pay adds up to his Sharks contract. Genius or predictable on the contract for a guy with connections?
Holland also went to Virtanen trying the troubled route again for a similar type even though with no established track. Insightful? Virtanen? Not the same as Kane’s situation with an ex wife and lots of outside evidence it wasn’t Kane that was the problem. That was an ugly PTO
Hyman – it was said here 5M was an overpay based on established play. Holland also gave him term. At the retirement contract later problem level. Not that now he’s not been great
Nuge – useful player. Got his cap down with huge term and a no trade. No way anybody predicted this season, so far so good
Bjugsadt – you realize what was given?
Ekholm 32 – the equivalent of 3 firsts. No salary retention. Chychrun 25 a 1st and two seconds and a couple of million lower cap
Holland has an established track record, here and in Detroit, of over paying contracts and in trades. He gets what he wants and sometimes it’s good. He rarely gets value other than grinding certain bottom level players
Athanasiou for two seconds for example
Oh Ekholm:
1) Barrie had value but he was not worth a first round pick and I don’t think that value was attributed to him in the trade.
2) Yes, there was salary retention. It seemed minor but it was a bit negotiation point that provided the ability to acquire Bjugstad. Retaining for 3 seasons (after this one) is a big deal, even if the dollars aren’t large – there are only 3 retained salary transaction allowed on the books.
3) If we look at Chychrun, Holland should be give credit for identifying the “right trade” and paying more for the better player that is the better fit for the team.
How is he 11th highest scoring D playing his best game ever at 4.5M with term not worth a first at the deadline? Given what gets paid? Is Barrie crap now or great as you felt he was when here?
The Ekholm retention is incidental. Holland never gets it to a significant degree was my point even on expiring contracts. See Keith
I have given credit for Ekholm and said he was the right choice. That doesn’t mean Holland didn’t pay significantly more. If I remember you were all over Chychrun. At the deadline he was the hottest commodity so why did we pay more? 7 years younger on a cheaper contract?
The 11th highest scoring d-man isn’t going to warrant a 1st rounder for the same reason that the d-man that led the entire D in scoring didn’t get a single 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th place vote for the Norris.
The retention was certainly not incidental as it was required in order to make the Bjugstad trade and Holland expressly said he gave a draft pick for that retention – that ties up a rendition spot on the Preds for 4 seasons.
Holland got retention on Ekholm (for four years), on Bjugstad, on Brassard, on Kulak, etc.
Yes, Holland paid more for Ekholm than Chychrun cost – he made the harder decision and the right decision – full credit for not getting the “sexier” player for a cheaper cost and doing what needed to be done to help the team win now.
You do not remember correctly – I was definitely not all over Chycrhun and I was posting about his injury risk since fall 2022.
Holland paid more to get the better d-man. Perhaps dealing with a future Hall of Famer in Poile who knows the value and wasn’t given away a core player of his team who wasn’t demanding a trade isn’t quite the same as Bill Armstrong dealing a player he had been trying to trade for 2 years and expressly wanted out?
I’m reading and re-reading Mayan Oil’s comment and I can’t find a single insult, personal or otherwise. He is simply disagreeing with you, in a rhetorical manner yes, but his comments are about your statements not about you. One shouldn’t find simple disagreement, insulting, no?
HUNTER 1909 OFFICIAL PLAYOFF D-MARCH 2023
Deadline: 1st puck drop of the Oilers playoffs
Rules:
1 – How many games do the Oilers win during these playoffs?
tie break
2 – How many points do Leon and Connor score combined?
tie break
3 – How many goals does Evander Kane score?
Hunter1909 plays Playoff D-March:
1- 16
2- 57
3 -12
Hey Hunter. I’m going with the following:
1- 16 games won (win the cup)
2- 64 points between McD and Drai
3- 10 Goals scored by Kane
Thanks Hunter!
Btw, who won the Death March Prediction?
Prospecti!
Just a twain of NA amateur prospects this day. Wanner’s Warriors battled back from a 3-0 deficit only to lose 5-3 in yesternight’s Game 1; they will go for the split tonight in the ‘Peg.
Also, the penultimate weekend of USHL regular season play wraps up this evening.
Moose Jaw (Wanner) @ 5 p.m.
Youngstown (Lachance) @ 6 p.m.
Both times, as usual, are Tillicum Beach time.